Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-19
LEPROSY.
The Terrible Disease as 1t Has Existed In
Louisiana.
Harpers Month Y,

Harpers Monthly,
| Mr.. Ely and the priest lot&ed in TIE
house of one Of the petits hsbitants. 10
the evening, when they were alone, the
subject Of leprosy came up.
ave hear at the North" said Mr.. Fly,
"vague accounts Of the Terre des
LIE ,reux, which is said to be somewhere
in Louisiana. Whas truth is there in
them?"
"They sre no doubt greatly ex4gger
ated," said Father Nldaud. ga spurious
| leprosy, alephantisis, was so common
among the negroes under the Spanish
domination thst Governor Miro founded
hospital for Iapers near New Orleans, en-
the St. John. 1t has been gone these
many years, and Lepers' Land is now
bulls up with pretty houses. It IVES in
the suburb IRENE"
"Tnc disease Is 6xhicct, theI?"
| There were some cases CT genuine
| Asi8tic leprcsy nesr Abbeville, i'll this
parish, about twenty years ego. An old
G, cole lady YVES the first. Her father
doubtless brought the terrible tsint IL
mis- blood from France. When the white
scales appeared in her face her hUs1and
and family fed from her. There wss Z
young girl, daughter OF M'sieu
DUBOIS, who went to her
and nursed her slong dur
ing the three years IN which she focght
with death. Another Of Gods servants,
M'sieu! Four of this old Wom&n's Chill
dren who deserted her b came lepers.
The young girl who lad nursed her, sitter
she died, married young farmer, ard
lived happily in her little cabin with her
husband aud pretty baby. But one day 6
shining white spot appeared on her fore
head. That WAS the end.
"She died"
"M'sieu, sitter four years. There is no
cure. Il surely does not matter to her
There have been ki0Ce then no leper5
il this parish except in these faint,
families. The reel Terre des Lepreux ia
Louisiana is now On lower Lafourche, De-
low Harang's canal. The baycu there is
tursid and foul; il f0ws through matar-
ious smaT1ps lower :bs1 itself The Creole
planters there are honest and temperate
folks, but they are Wretchedly
poor. They raise only rice, and live on IL
and fish. The wet rice fields come up to
the very doors of their CABINS. The lep.
rosy which Certain families smong them
dlions. Five years ago Professor
Joseph Jones, president Of the state board
Of heslth, went himself with his son to
explore the cypress swamps and lsgoons
of the Lower Lafourche. M'sieu,
death. He found many poor
lepers hidirg there. They were
as dead men who walk and talk. They
10 hplro al
longer cold, hest nor pain. Their bodies
were as corpses. Oae man lived alone
in hut, matched with p2lmettos, which
be had built for himself, eating only the
rice which he had planted. No man or
woman had come neSr him for years.
The Terre des Lepreux extends as far as
Cheniere Caminads, where the bayou
empties into the gulf
MI Ely renamed silent though tor
rent of angry queries rushed to his lips.
Why was nothing done TO mitigate the
horrors of such life in death? How
could this priest, msn OF God, so calmly
discuss these poor, accursed creatures,
from his safe, comfortable point Of vsn-
tage, jogging on his easy going mare
from one farm to anotherP He babe him
presently curt good night, and went to
the loft where he was to sleep. When he
came down in the morning Pere Nedaud
had gore.
"M'oieu," said his smiling host, ole
pere hat lef' you bon matiu," waving his
hand TO the little block figure, passing
sout ward far across the prairie.
"Where is his charge now"
"M'sieu-" Glspsrd paused moment. |
"In hell, think. 1t is near Cneniere
Csminads, in Ia Terra des LepreuX
Mr. f 2 walked away from Inn snd |
psced up and down the leYee for = long
time.
"God forgive mel" he muttered to
himself.